Bale will never be worth more than right now. 100m euro is the latest out of RM. they paid 96m euro for ronnie. Levy will do the deal at that price.
UK Summer transfer window - gossip, rumours and facts
Paul Lambert is on a mission to slash £1million a month off Aston Villa's wage bill...
For a club that finished, what 16th last season, this will mean getting rid of approximately 250k per week and not replacing them at all.I would guess that the average player at Villa would be on somewhere around 50k per week, so this means getting rid of 5 players. Even if we say Bent is on 80k per week, it still means getting rid of him and 3 other high earners, and not replacing them at all. The squad was paper-thin last season, so it will be a hell of a struggle for them this one.
Just picked up on this from a few days ago.
None of players that will go are having any significant game time at the end of last season, and reinforcements (albeit relatively unknown) have been brought in.
The players to go are either in the groups 'Too good to be on the bench' (Bent, Shay Given), 'not fitting the game plan' (N'Zogbia), or 'taking the piss' (Ireland, Bannan). Most are remnants of the McLeish or Houllier eras and Lambert has quite specific requirements that they don't fit into - so it's not really losing players and not replacing them, it's losing players that aren't going to play anyway. Ireland and Given will be on well over 50k, so added to Bent you get a long way towards that 250.
The players to go are either in the groups 'Too good to be on the bench' (Bent, Shay Given), 'not fitting the game plan' (N'Zogbia), or 'taking the piss' (Ireland, Bannan). Most are remnants of the McLeish or Houllier eras and Lambert has quite specific requirements that they don't fit into - so it's not really losing players and not replacing them, it's losing players that aren't going to play anyway. Ireland and Given will be on well over 50k, so added to Bent you get a long way towards that 250.
The main issue this season (again) will be the defence leaking goals. The front 3 are always a danger and I suspect will dish out some spankings this season, but defensive set pieces are a heart attack inducing. Until this morning they had been 33 games (including pre-season friendlies) without a clean sheet.
If nothing else, this season we'll be a long way from the draws of earlier days. Glorious victories or embarrassing defeats - and little in between.
Pjanic on the streets of London?
All has gone quiet with the big clubs....wonder if there will be more moves for Rooney, Bale, Suarez...anyone into Arsenal....I'm picking yes!
Downing to West Ham looks to be a goer (and I am very happy with that), but the news that made me spit my Green Tea all over my keyboard this morning is that "Wolves striker Kevin Doyle is heading for a £3million move to Hull City - if he agrees to a 50% wage cut." It is a well known fact that Wolves massively fucked everything up when they were in the premier league (sacking McCarthy with no replacement lined up, no relegation clauses in any of the players contracts, etc) but it is mental that a League 1 player has to take a 50% paycut to join a premier league club.
And with just over 2 weeks to go in the window, it is time for a "balls on the line" prediction as to what will happen....
Bale to stay with Spurs
Suarez to end up at Madrid
Rooney to go to Chelsea
Fabregas to stay at Barcelona
Fellani to go to Man Utd (although Baines will stay at Everton)
Heard a rumour that Madrids number one target is Aguero from Man City....I put some one elses balls on it
QPR in the throes of signing Zapata, Baird & Fazoui Ghoulam
"Why be the richest team in the championship?" - Michael Laudrup, on why Michu is not for sale at any price. Well said that man.
QPR have given up on Zapata. Apparently at 22 he's 10 years too young for Harry to want to sign.
ran out of brown bags?
So it seems that Bale is off to Madrid for apparently £93million and Fabio Coentrao, which is an amazing fee. Coentrao is a brilliant player (well, looked very good every time I have seen him on the telebox), so well done Spurs there.
In other news....."The BBC, along with a couple of papers, report that Arsenal are set to make a move for Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and Angel di Maria, as the Spanish giants desperately try to find some money to pay for the Gareth Bale deal."
It would be interesting that as soon as Spurs lose their best player, Arsenal immediately go and strengthen. Di Maria is a diving little tw@t, but I think will do well in England, and Arsenal have been missing a "20 goal a season" centre forward for......well, 1 year now.
Sounds like Flamini will re-sign with Arsenal on a free
What a crazy amount to pay for Bale.....given the price of Falcao and Cavani. Well done Spurs.
Chelsea in for Willian and Rooney?
Great business by Spurs, but a silly move by Real.
I'm trying to think the last time a British footballer was a standout amazing performer in leagues outside the EPL in Europe....
Vinnie Samways
The Willian rumours have got a fair few of us Chelsea fans flummoxed, we aren't exactly crying out for attacking midfielders at the moment.
It's not often you'll see us willing Spurs to sign a player, but given the continued speculation (rubbish, touch wood) surrounding Mata we're all longing to see Willian unveiled at Enfield as soon as possible.
This is a great piece on the transfer window;